MicroPARTY, an album by Electric Blue Yonder (EBY), reminds us of the beauty of small moments and things in life that are often overlooked, teaching about the importance of friendship, the wonders of nature, and the joy of imagination. EBY wanted to capture a child’s attention with a sense of wonderment, giving them layers of learning opportunities while making the music and lyrics interesting for general music lovers – the young and young at heart.
Evaluation comments:
“When the Florida-based Cosmic Americana band Electric Blue Yonder decided to make a kids-oriented album, they brought their eclectic “space folk” musical style to children’s music and the results are wildly impressive. What will strike you upon first listen is just how rich this music is with sounds and textures. You easily could play a game of “guess the instrument” with your family. Is that a flute? A toy piano? A xylophone? The second thing you will notice is how EBY’s husband-and-wife team of Beth Hataway and Johnny Veres have a fine eye for little things and an inventive way of singing about them on MicroPARTY. Listeners of all ages will smile over the clever wordplay in “The World of the Small”: “atoms, you can’t look at ‘em.” The bouncy track “Roly Poly,” follows a little bug’s attempt to get across town (with a message about helping people, and creatures, out), while “Lil’ C” is a caterpillar tune that suggests unlikely collaboration between Eric Carle and Tom Waits. On “Counting With Kathleen,” meanwhile, EBY elevates its counting tune into a tribute to Katherine Johnson, a pioneering African American NASA mathematician. Every track holds something to catch your attention and capture your imagination. EBY hope to transform MicroPARTY into a stage show, which sounds a cool idea – to the max!”